Publications
This list of publications includes peer-review journal articles, official USGS publications series, reports and more authored by scientists in the Ecosystems Mission Area. A database of all USGS publications, with advanced search features, can be accessed at the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Filter Total Items: 42144
Formation of mixed Al-Fe colloidal sorbent and dissolved-colloidal partitioning of Cu and Zn in the Cement Creek - Animas River Confluence, Silverton, Colorado
Transport and chemical transformations of dissolved and colloidal Al, Fe, Cu and Zn were studied by detailed sampling in the mixing zone downstream from the confluence of Cement Creek (pH 4.1) with the Animas River (pH 7.6). Complete mixing resulted in circumneutral pH in the downstream reach of the 1300 m study area. All four metals were transported through this mixing zone without...
Authors
Laurence E. Schemel, Briant Kimball, Robert L. Runkel, Marisa H. Cox
Return to the wild: Translocation as a tool in conservation of the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
Translocation could be used as a tool in conservation of the threatened Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) by moving individuals from harm's way and into areas where they could contribute to conservation of the species. Numerous factors may affect the success of translocations, including the conditions experienced by tortoises in holding facilities while awaiting translocation...
Authors
Kimberleigh J Field, C.R. Tracy, P.A. Medica, R.W. Marlow, PS Corn
Regional differences in size-at-age of the recovering burbot (Lota lota) population in Lake Erie
The burbot Lota lota population in Lake Erie increased dramatically between 1995 and 2003, due mainly to control of the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus, which began in the late 1980s. We estimated total length- and weight-at-age at capture for burbot caught in annual gillnet surveys of eastern Lake Erie during August 1994–2003. Mean total length was generally greater for burbot age 4–9...
Authors
M.A. Stapanian, Charles P. Madenjian, J. Tost
Stable isotope data from deep-water antipatharians: 400-Year records from the southeastern coast of the United States of America
In this study, time-series stable isotope results (δ13C and δ15N) from three deep-water Leiopathes glaberrima(Esper, 1788) specimens Collected off the southeastern Coast of the United States of America and one specimen from the Gulf of Mexico are presented. The specimens were Collected live in 2004 and are estimated to be 200–500 yrs old based on 210Pb measurements and band Counts. The...
Authors
B. Kenneth Williams, Michael J. Risk, Steve W. Ross, Kenneth J. Sulak
Evaluation of sulfate reduction at experimentally induced mixing interfaces using small-scale push-pull tests in an aquifer-wetland system
This paper presents small-scale push–pull tests designed to evaluate the kinetic controls on SO42- reduction in situ at mixing interfaces between a wetland and aquifer impacted by landfill leachate at the Norman Landfill research site, Norman, OK. Quantifying the rates of redox reactions initiated at interfaces is of great interest because interfaces have been shown to be zones of...
Authors
T.A. Kneeshaw, Jennifer T. McGuire, Erik A. Smith, Isabelle M. Cozzarelli
Biomarkers of metals exposure in fish from lead-zinc mining areas of Southeastern Missouri, USA
The potential effects of proposed lead-zinc mining in an ecologically sensitive area were assessed by studying a nearby mining district that has been exploited for about 30 y under contemporary environmental regulations and with modern technology. Blood and liver samples representing fish of three species (largescale stoneroller, Campostoma oligolepis, n=91; longear sunfish, Lepomis...
Authors
Christopher J. Schmitt, J.J. Whyte, A.P. Roberts, M.L. Annis, T.W. May, Donald E. Tillitt
Establishing a baseline and faunal history in amphibian monitoring programs: The amphibians of Harris Neck, GA
We conducted an intensive inventory of Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge in coastal Georgia to determine the feasibility of establishing an amphibian monitoring program at this location. Thirteen semi-aquatic amphibian species were identified at 21 locations. Amphibian species richness at Harris Neck was similar to that of nearby barrier islands. The amphibian fauna of Harris Neck has...
Authors
C.K. Dodd, William J. Barichivich
A deep reef in deep trouble
The well-documented degradation of shallower reefs which are often closer to land and more vulnerable to pollution, sewage and other human-related stressors has led to the suggestion that deeper, more remote offshore reefs could possibly serve as sources of coral and fish larvae to replenish the shallower reefs. Yet, the distribution, status, and ecological roles of deep (>30 m)...
Authors
Charles Menza, M. Kendall, C. R. Rogers, J. J. Miller
Territoriality, prospecting, and dispersal in cooperatively breeding Micronesian Kingfishers (Todiramphus cinnamominus reichenbachii)
We investigated territoriality, prospecting, and dispersal behavior in cooperatively breeding Pohnpei Micronesian Kingfishers (Todiramphus cinnamominus reichenbachii) throughout the annual cycle using radiotelemetry and color-band resights. Mean home-range size was 6.3 ha and territories were 8.1 ha. Within territories, Micronesian Kingfishers shared 63% of their home-range space with...
Authors
D.C. Kesler, Susan M. Haig
Occurrence of pesticides in water, sediment, and soil from the Yolo Bypass, California
The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential sources of pesticides to the Yolo Bypass, including those that could potentially impact critical life stages of resident fish. To assess direct inputs during inundation, pesticide concentrations were analyzed in water and suspended and bed sediment samples collected from source watersheds during high-flow events. To understand...
Authors
Kelly Smalling, James L. Orlando, Kathryn Kuivila
Use of seasonal freshwater wetlands by fishes in a temperate river floodplain
This study examined the use of freshwater wetland restoration and enhancement projects (i.e. non-estuarine wetlands subject to seasonal drying) by fish populations. To quantify fish use of freshwater emergent wetlands and assess the effect of wetland enhancement (i.e. addition of water control structures), two enhanced and two unenhanced emergent wetlands were compared, as well as two...
Authors
Julie A. Henning, Robert E. Gresswell, Ian A. Fleming
Microsatellite variation reveals weak genetic structure and retention of genetic variability in threatened Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) within a Snake River watershed
Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) have been central to the development of management concepts associated with evolutionarily significant units (ESUs), yet there are still relatively few studies of genetic diversity within threatened and endangered ESUs for salmon or other species. We analyzed genetic variation at 10 microsatellite loci to evaluate spatial population structure and...
Authors
Helen M. Neville, Frank B. Issacs, Russel F Thurow, Jason B. Dunham, B. Rieman